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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. pass — a permit
  4. wound — an injury
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. cap — a hat
  8. chip — for betting
  9. cap — a lid
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. cap — of ice
  13. mine — for digging
  14. chip — to eat
  15. toast — bread
  16. wound — an injury
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. mine — an explosive

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com